LAS VEGAS (AP) β Jalen Brunson scored at least 30 points for the fourth consecutive game, his season-high 40 leading the Knicks past the Orlando Magic 132-120 on Saturday and putting New York in the NBA Cup final.
The Knicks, who have won five in a row and nine of 10, will play Oklahoma City or San Antonio on Tuesday night for the championship.
Brunson also had eight assists and made 16 of 27 shots, including a 3-pointer in the third quarter after Orlando's Anthony Black fell backward onto the floor. Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and OG Anunoby scored 24 for the Knicks.
Jalen Suggs scored 25 of his 26 points in the first half for the Magic before leaving in the fourth quarter because of a sore left hip. Paolo Banchero added 25 points and Desmond Bane scored 18.
This game had a playoff feel with both teams playing physically and taking seemingly every opportunity to push the pace. The Knicks shot 60.7% and outscored the Magic 70-62 in the lane.
The game was back and forth with 11 lead changes and 10 ties before the Knicks went on a 10-point run late in the third quarter to take a 102-92 lead.
It appeared a little NBA history could be made when at halftime Brunson and Suggs each scored 25 points. No regular-season game has produced a 50-point scorer from each team since 2000.
But Suggs scored just a point in the second half, and he clearly was hobbled. He went to the locker room early in the fourth quarter.
The Magic played without Franz Wagner, who is out several weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Up next
Knicks: Play the Thunder or Spurs on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup final.
DAVIS, Calif. (AP) β Tommy Rittenhouse threw two of his three touchdown passes to to Daniel Sobkowicz, Chris Taylor returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score, and unseeded Illinois State beat UC Davis 42-31 on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
Illinois State (11-4), which beat top-seeded and previously unbeaten North Dakota State 29-28 to advance to the quarterfinals, plays No. 12 seed Villanova next Saturday. The Redbirds advanced to the semifinals for the third time in program history, the first since 2014.
Caden Pinnick hit Zach Jones for a 65-yard gain but Shadwel Nkuba II punched out the ball and recovered the fumble. The Redbirds followed with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Rittenhouse throwing a 17-yard TD pass to Sobkowicz that made it 35-17 with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
Rittenhouse was 15-of-20 passing for 266 yards and threw an interception. Sobkowicz finished with 150 yards receiving, which included a 93-yard touchdown, on six catches. Seth Glatz, who went into the game with three rushing touchdowns this season, ran for TDs of 14 and 58 yards in the second half. Victor Dawson had 148 yards rushing on 29 carries.
Illinois State finished with a season-high 273 yards rushing.
Pinnick was 29-of-41 passing for 402 yards and three touchdowns for No. 8 seed UC Davis (9-4). Stacy Dobbins finished with 10 receptions for 121 yards and two TDs. Jordan Fisher had a 23-yard rushing touchdown and caught a 1-yard TD pass from Pinnick.
The Aggies drove to the Redbirds 2 before CJ Richard Jr. intercepted a pass in the end zone with 9:34 remaining.
Sobkowicz has 250 career receptions, tied with Tyrone Walker (2009-12) for most in program history.
The Aggies won the only previous matchup between the programs 42-10 in the second round of the 2024 FCS playoffs.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, center, is the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday after throwing for an NCAA record 33 touchdowns and leading Indiana to a 13-0 record and top seed in the college football playoffs. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy after he was awarded NCAA football's highest award on Saturday night.
Mendoza was the second Indiana player to be among Heisman finalists, with running back Anthony Thompson finishing second in Heisman balloting in 1989.
An emotional Mendoza accepted the award and thanked God, team and community for believing in him.
"If you told me as a kid in Miami that I would be here on stage holding this prestigious trophy, I would have laughed or cried, just like I am now," he said.
Mendoza said he accepted the award with "humility and gratitude" and told his teammates that "I love you more than you can know."
He credited his offensive line, running backs and defense for making it possible.
'Playing for the Hooser nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I will carry that forever."
His mother was in the audience and cried as Mendoza thanked her for encouraging him to continue and always believing in him when others did not.
"You don't need the most stars, hype or ranking," Mendoza said, and cited football, family and faith as his guiding lights in life.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti earlier said that he never has been around a player who prepares as much as Mendoza and gives back to the community.
"The way this guy plays in the fourth quarter ... unbelievable," Cignetti said. "I can't think of a bigger compliment that you can pay a competitor than that."
Indiana plays the winner of the Alabama-Oklahoma matchup during the second round of the playoffs in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1.
The other three Heisman finalists were Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.
Mendoza posted a completion rate of 71.5% by completing 226 of 316 pass attempts for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns and 6 interceptions during the season. The 33 passing touchdowns is an NCAA record.
He also ran for six touchdowns while rushing for 240 yards on 59 carries for an average gain of 2.5 yards.
Mendoza posted a passer rating of 181.4 while leading Indiana to the Big 10 title and the No. 1 ranking heading into the College Football Playoff with a 13-0 record.
Sayin led Ohio State to an undefeated regular season before losing to Indiana in the Big 10 title game for a 12-1 record and the No. 2 CFP ranking and seed.
Sayin completed 78.4% of his passes with 279 completions on 356 attempts for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Ohio State plays the winner of the Miami-Texas A&M matchup during the second round of the playoffs in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
Love rushed for 1,372 yards on 199 carries for an average gain of 6.9 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
Love also caught 27 passes for 280 yards and scored three touchdowns, while Notre Dame posted a 10-2 record and a No. 9 ranking in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the CFP rankings.
Notre Dame missed out on the 12-team playoff and declined a bowl invitation.
Pavia led the Commodores to a 10-2 record while completing 71.2% of his passes, with 242 completions on 340 attempts for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions for a passer rating of 171.5.
Vanderbilt was ranked 14th in the CFP Top 25 and is scheduled to play the 8-4 Iowa Hawkeyes in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 31.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) β The law firm hired by the University of Michigan to investigate former football coach Sherrone Moore's relationship with a staffer will continue its probe of the program and is prepared to expand its inquiry throughout the athletic department, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details.
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday, when the school said an investigation uncovered his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He is married with three daughters.
The 39-year-old Moore was charged with three crimes after prosecutors said on Friday he βbarged his wayβ into the apartment of a woman heβd been having an affair with and threatened to kill himself.
Athletic director Warde Manuel told the school's board during the season that he asked Moore and the woman if they were in a relationship and both denied it, according to the people familiar with the situation. They said Manuel told the board that he reviewed hundreds of text messages and emails between Moore and the woman on their school-issued cellphones and computers and did not discover anything inappropriate.
The school later hired a law firm to investigate the matter further and it began working on campus on Monday, when the woman did not show up to work, according to the two people. They said her attorney met with the firm on Tuesday and she provided evidence of her relationship with Moore on Wednesday, when Manuel fired Moore without human resources or campus police present.
Well before Manuel's inquiry and the law firm's investigation, a social media influencer outside the state contacted the school to express concerns about Moore's behavior, two people familiar with the situation said.
Moore faces charges including felony home invasion and stalking.
He and the woman had been having an affair βfor a number of yearsβ before she ended the relationship Monday, said Kati Rezmierski, a Washtenaw County prosecutor. Moore repeatedly called the woman and texted her, but she refused to respond, Rezmierski said.
Shortly after losing his job, Moore stormed into the womanβs apartment, βthen proceeded to a kitchen drawer, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors. And began to threaten his own life,β Rezmierski said.
The prosecutor quoted Moore as telling the woman: βIβm going to kill myself. Iβm going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. Youβve ruined my life.β
A plea of not guilty was entered on Mooreβs behalf and he was released from jail after meeting the $25,000 bond. Moore said very little in court besides acknowledging that he must have no contact with the woman, among other conditions.
Defense attorney Joe Simon said Moore would βabsolutely complyβ with the judgeβs order for an additional evaluation. Moore must wear a GPS tracking device, stay in Michigan and abstain from alcohol. The next court hearing was set for Jan. 22.
Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.
No. 18 Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to a Jim Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach.
The school is searching for a coach and hopes to make a hire this month to help it retain recruits and give players enough confidence in the program to stay out of the transfer portal next month.
___
EDITORβS NOTE β This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
BOTTOM LINE: Max Frazier and Cent. Conn. St. visit Demetrius Lilley and Binghamton in cross-conference play.
The Bearcats are 3-2 on their home court. Binghamton is seventh in the America East with 22.1 defensive rebounds per game led by Lilley averaging 7.1.
The Blue Devils are 2-4 on the road. Cent. Conn. St. averages 16.7 assists per game to lead the NEC, paced by Jay Rodgers with 6.7.
Binghamton's average of 4.8 made 3-pointers per game is 4.2 fewer made shots on average than the 9.0 per game Cent. Conn. St. gives up. Cent. Conn. St. has shot at a 47.4% rate from the field this season, 2.2 percentage points greater than the 45.2% shooting opponents of Binghamton have averaged.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lilley is scoring 16.4 points per game and averaging 10.2 rebounds for the Bearcats. Jackson Benigni is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers.
Darin Smith Jr. is averaging 19.7 points for the Blue Devils. Frazier is averaging 11.8 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Login
